


best tread carefully (i'm not my usual me)

by mangoslices



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: AU, M/M, as a spy, bad guy!keith, but not really, i literally only watched to season 3 and that was ages ago, it's slowburn, keith joins the galra empire, this is keith/lance but uhhhh don't expect that for a while
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-17
Updated: 2019-11-17
Packaged: 2021-02-07 17:04:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21461509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mangoslices/pseuds/mangoslices
Summary: The war has taken a toll on everyone, and it doesn't seem like there's an end in sight.Keith makes a decision.Welcome to the Galra Empire, former Red Paladin.
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10





	best tread carefully (i'm not my usual me)

Keith opens his eyes and is met with the blinding fluorescents, bound wrists, and a bitter taste his mouth. He’s been stripped of anything useful, but Red’s connection is a steady presence in the back of his head, and gratitude is all he can feel.

_You’re still here._

_Of course._

Keith feels foolish doubting Red, but she _understands_, and Keith is grateful that only she is privy to his thoughts – insecurities – like this. Red, a silent supporter since the day she saved him – and god, had it really been that long ago? – is his only constant now. She is all that he has.

Keith pushes those thoughts down. She is all that he has _now_, but maybe one day he’ll have more again. Keith does not think about the castle and its occupants, and how they must be waking up now and will soon realize what he’s done; what he’s become.

_They’ll understand_. Red tells him, but does not say they’ll forgive him. She has never seen a point to lying.

The door opens to the tiny room and a guard enters. Keith almost feels insulted at the disregard Zarkon and Haggar show, but manages to swallow a sarcastic remark.

After all, he was here to join the Galra Empire, and playing nice would go a long way.

“Emperor Zarkon will see you now.” The guard wastes no time in dragging Keith up and shoving him towards another room.

The guard is mistaken, or maybe it’s a ploy to throw Keith off because it is not Zarkon waiting for him, but Haggar. Unlucky for her, Keith did not get dragged into space or recruited into a war to fail here. She is an unknown and Keith may not know her game, but she doesn’t know him either.

“The Red Paladin–“ she begins, but Keith interrupts her.

“Former.”

“My mistake,” she says, a cruel smile painting her face. “The former Red Paladin.”

She does not continue, instead letting silence permeate the room. Keith thinks he might hate her a little bit.

“I want to join the Galra Empire.”

She hums, but doesn’t respond. Keith doesn’t elaborate, his actions have more than shown his dedication.

“You bought the Red Lion.”

“Yes.”

Haggar bares her teeth in a facsimile of a grin and slashes his restraints. Keith has little time to relish the freedom as he is suddenly pinned against the wall. Haggar approaches him with an outstretched hand, and Keith feels like an insect in a museum.

“King Zarkon hates waste,” is all he gets before he’s dropped on the floor. It’s not an acceptance or a condemnation, but Keith can’t accept the uncertainty.

He swallows the regret he feels and thinks about the looks Shiro give his metal arm when he think no one is looking, or Lance gazing at the stars with worry in his eyes, or Pidge forgoing sleep to find a shred of evidence for the continued existence of their family, or Hunk tirelessly cooking in an effort to raise everyone’s spirits and keep everyone fed, or Allura becoming a permanent fixture in the control room, or Coran trying his best to fix the castle to withstand another fight. The war has taken a toll on everyone, and really, with this in mind, what is a little sacrifice in comparison to his friends’ wellbeing?

“They’ll be landing on Pholepra in two days to recruit the Pholeprans’ help against you – us.” 

Haggar pauses on her way out momentarily before leaving. She doesn’t spare Keith a glance.

It’s okay though, because the guard doesn’t help him, but he also doesn’t kill him. He also doesn’t hurry to chain him up, so Keith is assured he’s been nominally accepted.

_Welcome to the Galra Empire._

The fluorescents are still blinding, but he is not bound, and Keith breathes. He passed the first test. Victory should taste sweet, but all he tastes is regret and bitterness. Keith thinks he’ll have time to get used it, though, and maybe it’ll overpower the taste of betrayal every time he opens his mouth and gives up another secret.

**Author's Note:**

> I stopped watching Voltron after season 3 & I have not seen or read Voltron stuff in ages, so sorry if this doesn't capture Keith, Haggar, or the Red Lion correctly. I also haven't written in years, so I'm a bit rusty, but this idea would not stop bugging me. 
> 
> I don't know if it'll continue, or how often I'll update. Sorry!


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